Anyone live in Chicago or Nashville?

[CARose]

carol marie:

Are we talking Chicago, Illinois?

Isn’t this where the phrase “vote early, vote often” was first coined?

I was born in Chicago & my grandmother only recently passed away there. She and my grandfather were friends with The mayor Dailey and I believe her wonderful home was tax free until she died, due to something on the books dating back to his days. So, yes, vote early, vote often was a term I was quite familiar with (although I don’t know that they actually voted more than one in my family, I do know who they were voting for).

CARose

 

[Tietjen]

punisherthunder:

I’m seriously considering moving to one of these two cities, but I’m torn as to which. If anyone can testify as if to one is better than the other, then I would certainly be appreciative. Thanks!

I used to live about an hour and a half north of Chicago (Sheboygan, WI). Then, about a year and a half ago I moved to Nashville, TN. Hmmm… comparing the two… Well, I LOVE the weather in the northern mid-west area. I enjoy the seasons, especially Fall. The summers in Nashville are WAY too hot and sticky for my liking. However, when I was growing up I lived in Miami and that was worse. The people in Nashville are generally more friendly. However, if your not into country music, there isn’t as much to do in the downtown area as there is in Chicago. The public school system in Nashville is lacking but I cannot compare it to Chicago’s because my children didn’t attend school there. Some of the parishes in the Nashville area aren’t as “traditional” as I’d like and am used to. However, there are two that I really do enjoy. The first being St. Joseph’s and the second being the Cathedral of the Incarnation. As you can imagine, there aren’t many Catholic Radio stations in the area (None), so you may want to invest in satellite radio (Sirius) for your listening pleasure. Depending where in Nashville you live (east or west side) the cost of living is generally lower than that of Chicago. The west side is the more costly (Belle Meade, Brentwood, etc). One of the things that I do enjoy about the Nashville area is that Tennessee has no state income tax though the sales tax is higher at 9.25%. Also, gas is less expensive here in the south as compared to the northern states. Crime in both cities is higher than I’d like (Chicago’s is worse though), but I suppose that is true in most medium to large U.S. cities. Chicago’s population is about 5X that of Nashville’s with almost 3 million people in the city and surrounding burbs. Nashville’s is under 500,000.
So, to sum things up in the view of someone who has lived in one city and been to the other many times… if friendlier people, country music, lower taxes, and warmer weather are your cup of tea then Nashville is the better of the two. If you’re a person who enjoys cooler climates, a wider variety of the arts, possibly a better public school system, and crowds then Chicago is for you. As for me… I wish I could combine the best of both places and call it home since both cities have many qualities that I enjoy. Best of luck to you and God bless.

 

[chicago]

carol marie:

That was my thought as well. We’ve had some real clunkers for Governors… but I really like the Mayor of Chicago. I don’t even care that all of his friends get the jobs… I think we have an awesome city.

That’s what all too many suburbanites say about him.

 

[chicago]

CARose:

I was born in Chicago & my grandmother only recently passed away there. She and my grandfather were friends with The mayor Dailey and I believe her wonderful home was tax free until she died, due to something on the books dating back to his days. So, yes, vote early, vote often was a term I was quite familiar with (although I don’t know that they actually voted more than one in my family, I do know who they were voting for).

CARose

As an old man once said, “Bury me in Chicago so I can continue to vote even after I’m dead!”

 

[chicago]

locket:

Chicago is probably dirtier, has more crime, and more traffic, etc but I would still prefer Chicago. Some of my best memories are of going to museums and zoos and resturants in the Chicagoland area.

Actually, Chicago is considered a pretty clean city nowadays.

As far as crime, it really largely depends upon what neighborhood you are in. Of course, anything can happen anywhere. And there will be more liklihood of crime in the city than in many suburbs. But, even within the city, there are places of very low crime and places of much higher crime.

Traffic, well yeah it’s hell. But often tolerable or workable. especially if one can use public transportation.

 

[chicago]

Fitz:

I don’t especially care so much about the patronage jobs, but the outright theft and people pulling paychecks that aren’t even working is sick.

The City That Works (even when it’s employees don’t).

The Chicago public school system would take its own thread to discuss. Most people I knew in the city used private schools. I did use a magnet school for one of my daughters and it was excellent. However, on the average, Chicago public schools are bad. The suburband schools are usually very good.

Things are improving drastically in the public schools. Again, a lot depends upon what school it is, however. Some are great, some stink. Suburban schools usually have kids coming from background which might be easier for teachers to deal with. Plus their communities often have tax bases which can support all kinds of high rolling spending.

 

[chicago]

carol marie:

That’s true… it has only been the last two Govenors…

To suggest that Illinois’s “bad” or troubled governors only goes back a couple is to be quite ignorant of Illinois history.

I’m hoping Oberwises gets in next time.

He’s quite possibly damaged goods with too much self created baggage to carry. Though, if he gets the nomination, he could potentially gain votes from more conservative traditional Democrats. More likely, Judy Baar Topinka will get the nod, though.

I don’t know too much about the Chicago Public Schools… but I wonder if they are any worse than the other major cities? I thought that some study a few months ago showed that Cleveland had the WORST schools (could be wrong about that?) and my friends from Michigan say Detroit schools are the pits… maybe that’s just the way it is… big city schools need an overhaul in general.

Chicago public schools used to absolutely suck. (Save a few). In recent years, they have gotten better.

I love our suburban schools… but even better still is our Catholic Parish School… no child is denied a Catholic Education despite the parents’ ability to pay the tuition. It is prayerfully up to the parents to pay what they can afford. You’d think that wouldn’t work… but it actually does. Such a blessing!

Which parish, if I may ask. That’s an interesting tuition concept.

P.S. To the OP… have you ever had a Chicago Style Hotdog? Honestly, a slice of heaven. Really… try one & you’ll forget all about Nashville. I bet THEY put ketchup on their hotdogs?

 

[Ham1]

You can’t get an italian beef sandwich or actual pizza in Nashville.

This reason alone should be sufficient for your decision.

 

[kage_ar]

Music scene in Nashville - it is fantastic! It is far beyond country music - last concert I went to there was Ben Folds. They have a serious new music/alternative music scene.

Great food, some wonderful shops… not the hicksville you see on posters and movies. I had the best lemongrass and ginger martini in Nashville…

Hey, why not visit both cities?

 

[punisherthunder]

From the way it sounds, Chicago would be the better place to raise a family. Here in the deep South, there are not many Catholic churches/communities. It would be rather nice to live somewhere that had decent neighborhoods and strong Catholic parishes that are willing to help.

 

[carol_marie]

punisherthunder:

From the way it sounds, Chicago would be the better place to raise a family. Here in the deep South, there are not many Catholic churches/communities. It would be rather nice to live somewhere that had decent neighborhoods and strong Catholic parishes that are willing to help.

I agree… but if you are from the South I would suggest that you plan a fun trip to Chicago… say in the middle of February just so you can experience the type of weather you’ll be living in.

I think over time you’d get used to the weather… but it does get very very cold.

 

[locket]

Ham1:

You can’t get an italian beef sandwich or actual pizza in Nashville.

This reason alone should be sufficient for your decision.

I agree!!!

 

[Lillith]

Monica37:

Just wanted to give a little feedback on Nashville. I live about an hour from there and it’s got some really good points. First, I don’t consider saying “ya’ll” a drawback at all, in fact I say it several times a day. There is just no denying the South has a very friendly, welcoming and warm attitude. So that is a plus. Nasville has a lot to offer. They do have museums (not just country music ones) and theatre, professional sports, a wide variety of foods, and yes, a wide variety of music ( I am not a fan of country music but have seen concerts by Tori Amos and Dave Matthews Band in Nashville). It is clean and culturally diverse. There are many Catholic churches ( although no TLM yet) and Catholic schools. I have lots of experience with Vanderbilt Children’s hospital and think they are amazing. I think Nashville is a great place to raise a family. As a caveat, I have never lived anywhere near Chicago, so I cannot do a comparison. Good luck on your decision I hope the best for you no matter where you choose to live.

Hey! I live an hour from Nashville too…Neighbor…

I love, love, love Nashville! It is gorgeous…some cobblestone streets downtown…lots of History…Yeah…it’s country music. I don’t listen to Country music either BUT…you have to respect it. Especially when you walk the streets downtown and it is door to door musicians…a lot of thumbpicking going on. No…you wont here it coming from my stereo, but watching it live is really cool…I even enjoy the yoddeling! It reminds me of a much cleaner version of New Orleans.

Folks are friendly for sure…and after a couple of years saying Yall just makes good horse sense

 

[Lillith]

Ham1:

You can’t get an italian beef sandwich or actual pizza in Nashville.

This reason alone should be sufficient for your decision.

True that…but you can’t get good bar-b-que north of Kentucky either…

Bar-b-qued Mutton sandwiches…>slurp…slurp<

 

[Ham1]

Lillith:

True that…but you can’t get good bar-b-que north of Kentucky either…

Bar-b-qued Mutton sandwiches…>slurp…slurp<

I don’t know about that. There are some mean barbecue joints on the south side of Chicago. They’re mostly in really rough neighborhoods. Go in the daytime.

We also have a great Chinatown and Greektown.

I’m getting hungry.

 

[BlestOne]

chicago:

Typical anti-Chicago Illinoisan rhetoric. The reality is that there is an urban-suburban-rural (called downstate, even if it’s upstate) divide with the various factions pretty much despising the others.

And I suppose you don’t think that Daily has Bloggie in his back pocket? Oh…Do you think I am a farmer or unsophisticated?

 

[BlestOne]

carol marie:

That’s true… it has only been the last two Govenors… I’m hoping Oberwises gets in next time.

I don’t know too much about the Chicago Public Schools… but I wonder if they are any worse than the other major cities? I thought that some study a few months ago showed that Cleveland had the WORST schools (could be wrong about that?) and my friends from Michigan say Detroit schools are the pits… maybe that’s just the way it is… big city schools need an overhaul in general.

I love our suburban schools… but even better still is our Catholic Parish School… no child is denied a Catholic Education despite the parents’ ability to pay the tuition. It is prayerfully up to the parents to pay what they can afford. You’d think that wouldn’t work… but it actually does. Such a blessing!

P.S. To the OP… have you ever had a Chicago Style Hotdog? Honestly, a slice of heaven. Really… try one & you’ll forget all about Nashville. I bet THEY put ketchup on their hotdogs?

Our schools in “Downstate IL” do this too…I had grants for my kids when I had 3 in Catholic School…now that I have 1 it isn’t necessary…but it was wonderful to know that my kids could go to Catholic school!

 

[koda]

I lived in Nashville for about 34 years before I moved to Los Angeles 12 years ago. First, Nashville is not the “Deep South”, Montgomery, AL is the “Deep South” (no offense to poster who said it was - just a clarification). The population of Meto Nashville-Davidson County is about 550,000 but the surrounding “bedroom” communities double or perhaps even triple that figure. Which brings up another point - many people who work in Nashville actually live outside the county in towns like Brentwood, Franklin, Smyna, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville, Lebanon, etc… The summers are hot and very humid and while winters are generally mild, at times it does get very cold - it just doesn’t last very long at a stretch. I converted to Catholicism when I lived there at St. Joseph’s church in Madison (a suburb). There weren’t many Catholic resources in the area as there just aren’t that many Cathoics. Southern Baptists are big there and there is some Fundamentalists as well.

Personally, I don’t like Nashville. But then many of my reasons have to do with personal things and experiences over my life. There do seem to be a lot of narrow minded self-righteous people there and some are anti-Catholic, but then I’m a fairly progressive/liberal person (Please note that I am not speaking of the entire population - I have some loved ones there).

You should visit and stay at least a few days. Drive around in the surrounding counties as well so you’ll know what it’s like outside the city.

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

Chicago, Collar Counties (da burbs) and Downstate (starting right after Joliet): FABULOUS, Catholic, more stuff for entertainment as well as education than you can shake a stick at, friendly midwesterners even in the City.

And Robbo is not liked by anybody right now. His is going to be the biggest loss since Dan Walker.

 

[ack]

I was in Chicago a couple days ago on vacation, and I was suprised at how friendly the people in the city were! In other big cities that I’ve visited, people pretty much ignore you.

However, this friendliness did NOT extend to the highway! In many spots, the flow of traffic was at LEAST 20MPH over the speed limit. People were making gestures because I was “only” driving 15MPH over the limit (and I wasn’t even blocking the passing lane!) I also find the highways to be rather confusing (exits not announced until it’s too late to get into the correct lane…and in one case, there were no signs to announce the upcoming closure of the left lane…I went around a curve, and there were the cones…surprise!)